Digital/audio interactive communication network

• US 5,127,003 A
• Filed: 02/11/1991
• Issued: 06/30/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inter-Tel (Delaware) Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Simpact Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Doll, Jr., William J., Judy, Murray S., Kirchner, III, Albert H., Krier, Thomas J., Pettitt, Meldon L., Reiswig, Danny R., Watchorn, Alan, Wirfel, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US07/655,107
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 370/94.2, 370/110.1, 370/85.1, 370/94.1, 379/68, 379/88, 379/85, 379/74
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/901 Wide area network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/908 Local area network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A communication system includes a digital network and an audio network such as a telephone system. The digital network includes a digital network server that communicates with client work stations in the digital network, and the telephone system includes a telephone system server that communicates with the telephones in the telephone system. Either the digital network or the telephone network server includes a memory that stores digital representations of voice objects received from the telephone handset. The digital network server includes a digital network server instruction set that operates the telephone system server to associate stored audio information received over the audio network with digital information of the digital network.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

digital network means for communicating digital information throughout a digital network, the digital network means including at least one work station at which a human being can gain access to the digital network;

audio communications network means for communicating audio information throughout an audio communications network, the audio communications network means including at least one audio input/output device at which a human being can provide acoustic audio information to, and receive acoustic audio information from, the audio communications network;

digital network server means within the digital network means for processing digital information in the digital network, the digital network server means being in communication with the at least one work station through the digital network and having digital data storage means therein for storing digital signals in the digital network server means;

audio communications network server means within the audio communications network means for processing an electronic representation of audio information in the audio communications network, the audio communications network server means being in communication with the audio input/output device through the audio communications network;

audio data storage means communicating with the audio input/output device for storing an electronic representation of audio information; and

command means in the digital network server means for controllably commanding input/output operation of the audio communications network server means.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the digital electronic network means includes a local area network.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the digital electronic network means includes a wide area network.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the audio communications network means includes a telephone system.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the audio communications network server means includes a programmable digital computer.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the audio data storage means is within the audio communications network means.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the audio data storage means is within the digital network means.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the command means includes an instruction set that commands operation of the audio communications network server means using instructions that are input at the work station of the digital network means.

9. The communications system of claim 1, having at least two work stations within the digital network means.

10. A communication system operable with digital network means for communicating digital information throughout a digital network, the digital network means including at least one work station at which a human being can gain access to the digital network;

audio communications network means for communicating audio information throughout an audio communications network, the audio communications network means including a least one audio input/output device at which a human being can provide acoustic audio information to, and receive acoustic audio information from, the audio communications network; and

digital network server means within the digital network means for processing digital information in the digital network, the digital network server means being in communication with the at least one work station through the digital network and having digital data storage means therein for storing digital signals in the digital network server means, the communication system comprising;

audio communications network server means within the audio communications network means for processing an electronic representation of audio information in the audio communications network, the audio communications network server means being in communication with the audio input/output device through the audio communications network;

audio data storage means communicating with the audio input/output device for storing an electronic representation of audio information; and

command means in the digital network server means for controllably commanding input/output operation of the audio communications network server means.

11. A communication system, comprising:

a digital electronic network having at least one work station at which a human being can process information in the digital network;

an audio communications network including at least one audio input/output device at which a human being can provide acoustic audio information to, and receive acoustic audio information from, the audio communications network;

a digital network server in communication with the at least one work station through the digital network and having a digital network server memory therein;

an audio communications network server in communication with the at least one audio input/output device through the audio communications network, the audio communications network server including

an audio communications network server memory that stores digitized audio information, and

an audio communications network server instruction set operable from the digital network server that controllably stores audio communications network information in digital form within the audio communications network server memory and transmits stored information from the audio communications network server memory through the audio communications network; and

a digital network server instruction set in the digital network server that operates the audio communications network server, the digital network server instruction set being operable by a user of the at least one work station.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the digital electronic network and the digital network server are included in a local area network.

13. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the audio communications network includes a telephone system.

14. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the audio communications network server comprises a programmable digital computer that includes the audio communications network server memory and audio communications network server instruction set.

15. A communication system operable with a digital electronic network having at least one work station at which a human being can process information in the digital network and a digital network server in communication with the at least one work station through the digital network and having a digital network server memory therein, and a telephone system having at least one telephone therein, comprising:

a telephone system server in communication with the at least one telephone, the telephone system server including a telephone system server instruction set operable from the digital network server that controllably causes the server to store audio information received from the at least one telephone in digital form and to transmit previously stored audio information from the telephone system server to the at least one telephone; and

a digital network server instruction set in the digital network server memory that causes the telephone system server to controllably store and transmit audio information, the digital network server instruction set being operable by a user of the at least one work station.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the audio information is stored within the telephone system server in digital form.

17. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the audio information is stored within the digital network in digital form.

18. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the digital network server instruction set and the telephone network server instruction set together includes:

means for providing a compound document at the at least one work station;

means for modifying the compound document at the at least one work station, the means for modifying including

means for indicating in the compound document the location of a voice insertion,

means for providing such a voice insertion through the telephone network and storing the voice insertion; and

means for reviewing the document at the at least one work station, the means for recalling including

means for displaying the text portion of the document, and

means for replaying the voice insertion through the telephone system at the location indicated in the document.

19. A process for communicating through a digital network having at least one work station at which a human being can process information in the digital network and a digital network server in communication with the at least one work station through the digital network and having a digital network server memory therein, and a telephone system having at least one telephone therein, comprising the steps of:

providing a telephone system server in communication with the at least one telephone, the telephone system server including a telephone system server in communication with the at least one telephone, the telephone system server including a telephone system server instruction set operable from the digital network server that controllably causes the telephone system server to store audio information received from the at least one telephone in digital form and to transmit previously stored audio information from the telephone system server to the at least one telephone;

providing a digital network server instruction set in the digital network server that operates the telephone system server instruction set, the digital network server instruction set being operable by a user of the at least one work station;

providing a document having text portions at the at least one work station; and

modifying the document at the at least one work station, the step of modifying including the substeps of

indicating in the document the location of a voice insertion,

providing such a voice insertion through the telephone network and storing the voice insertion; and

recalling the document at one of the work stations, the step of recalling including the substeps of

displaying the text portions of the document, and

replaying the voice insertion at the location indicated in the document.